10.9M Filipino adults jobless — SWS

A new survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that there are now 10.9 million jobless Filipino adults in the country. (Photo: Department of Labor and Employment – DOLE/Facebook)

A new survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that there are now 10.9 million jobless Filipino adults in the country.

From the 7.2 million in December 2017, the First Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey released on Labor Day, May 1, found that the number of jobless Filipinos increased to an estimated 10.9 million. This 23.9 percent is 8.2 points above the 15.7 percent last year.

The SWS said this is the second-highest rating under the Duterte administration since the 25.1 percent in December 2016.

The latest joblessness rate, according to the pollster, consists of those who voluntarily left their previous jobs at 12.6 percent (est. 5.8 million adults), those who involuntarily left their jobs at 7.7 percent (est. 3.5 million adults), and first-time job seekers at 3.5 percent (est. 1.6 million adults).

“SWS’s adult joblessness data refers to adults in the labor force. Those with a job at present, plus those without a job at present and looking for a job, are part of the labor force,” the SWS said.

The SWS also noted that joblessness rate rose all over the country except for National Capital Region (NCR).

Although adult joblessness dropped by 0.5 percent from 19.5 percent in December 2017 in NCR, unemployment in Balance Luzon increased by 12.1 points from 16.0 percent last quarter.

It also rose by 6.3 points from 15.5 percent in Visayas, and by 7.6 points from 13.2 percent in Mindanao.

The survey showed that joblessness tends to affect woman much more than men, as 33.9 percent of the unemployed are female Filipinos while 16.1 percent are Filipino men. The number of jobless females increased by 7.2 points from 26.7 percent in December 2017, while jobless males surged to 8.5 points from 7.6 percent last quarter.

Net Optimism on job availability also dropped among Filipinos from an “excellent” +41 in December 2017 to a “very high” +37 in March 2018.

The SWS terminology for Net Optimism on job availability are as follows: +40 and above, “Excellent”; +30 to +39, “Very High”; +20 to +29, “High”, +10 to +19, “Fair”; +1 to +9 “Mediocre”; –9 to 0 “Low”; –10 and below, “Very Low.”

The SWS stressed that it considers movement from one classification to another as either “upgrade” or downgrade.”

The latest survey, done from March 23 to 27, 2018, used face-to-face interviews of 1,2000 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, with sampling error margins of plus-minus three percent for national percentages, and plus-minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.